“To be a great speaker, you must first be in alignment with yourself, and then be willing to share that with others. That groundedness along with expert communication skills becomes the tipping point for your success.” – Maria Lynn Johnson

my story

Hello and welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. Let me tell you a little about myself.

I believe we all have a WHY, a reason why we do the things we do. And that WHY is created when we are very young. When I was young, I lacked confidence and worked very hard to be who I thought others wanted me to be. I could never quite figure out what I was (“supposed to be”) about.

My life was centered around everything music. Every day involved singing, saxophone, piano, drum majoring, or musical theatre. Growing up in a world of music and performance, I learned how to lead and connect with others around me and create something magnificent that was bigger than all of us. It was one place I could fully connect with others and soar while expressing myself.

As a young girl, I remember reading the book, Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Sitting in my bed, reading way past my bedtime, it lit up a passion inside me for personal growth that began a lifelong quest for connection – with myself and others.

So, I took this pursuit of excellence, and the passion to connect, and for over 20 years coached and trained leaders to higher performance in large, global corporations. I learned how to develop and lead organization-wide initiatives, build relationships with C-suite executives, and present myself on a global stage.

After leaving the corporate world in 2012, I realized that I had reached the place I had sought for so many years. I was finally the pilot of my own life, and had an overflowing of skills, insight and passion to share with others. I decided not to return to corporate, and created my company, Speaking Mastery.

It was a big transition from corporate to entrepreneur. I was skilled, but quickly learned I needed to develop a new way of operating. I needed to become an expert at prospecting, positioning, and selling my OWN company. It didn’t happen overnight, but after years of dedicated effort, I discovered a way to speak, sell, and position yourself that can help you play at the top of your game.